ABUJA — The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has cautioned against uncoordinated demands for an arbitrary ₦1 million monthly minimum wage, warning that inflating nominal salaries without stabilizing the naira and addressing structural economic factors risks collapsing the national economy.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, the labor leader emphasized that wage increases must be aligned with purchasing power, real exchange rate stability, and productivity metrics.
“A ₦1 million monthly salary would be completely worthless to Nigerian workers if the naira continues to suffer rapid devaluation and inflation remains unchecked,” Ajaero stated. “If you pay workers ₦1 million today and the cost of basic commodities doubles or triples overnight, you have achieved nothing. In fact, injecting unbacked liquidity into an unstable fiscal environment risks total economic collapse.”
The NLC President reiterated that organized labor’s primary focus remains securing a genuine “living wage” rooted in economic fundamentals, alongside structural government interventions to control fuel prices, transport costs, and food inflation.
“Wage negotiations are governed by constitutional processes and macroeconomic parameters,” Ajaero explained. “When the formal tripartite negotiations commence within the legally stipulated window, our demands will be grounded in realistic benchmarks that protect workers’ standard of living without destroying the real sector.”
The clarification follows recent discussions surrounding labor demands and government relief measures, with NLC leadership maintaining that wage adjustments must go hand-in-hand with monetary policy stability and real economic productivity.
